Discovery BoxJeremiah 37:7
Context37:7 “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him. 1 Tell him, “The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt. 2
Isaiah 20:5
Context20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. 3
Isaiah 30:1-7
Context30:1 “The rebellious 4 children are as good as dead,” 5 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 6
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 7
and thereby compound their sin. 8
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 9
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 10
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
30:4 Though his 11 officials are in Zoan
and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 12
30:5 all will be put to shame 13
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
30:6 This is a message 14 about the animals in the Negev:
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, 15
by snakes and darting adders, 16
they transport 17 their wealth on the backs of donkeys,
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them. 18
30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. 19
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one 20 who is silenced.’” 21
Isaiah 31:1-3
Context31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, 22
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots 23
and in their many, many horsemen. 24
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel 25
and do not seek help from the Lord.
31:2 Yet he too is wise 26 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 27
He will attack the wicked nation, 28
and the nation that helps 29 those who commit sin. 30
31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with 31 his hand;
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish. 32
Lamentations 4:17
Contextע (Ayin)
4:17 Our eyes continually failed us
as we looked in vain for help. 33
From our watchtowers we watched
for a nation that could not rescue us.
Lamentations 5:6
Context5:6 We have submitted 34 to Egypt and Assyria
in order to buy food to eat. 35
Ezekiel 29:7
Context29:7 when they grasped you with their hand, 36 you broke and tore 37 their shoulders,
and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady. 38
[37:7] 1 tn Or “to ask me what will happen.” The dominant usage of the verb דָּרַשׁ (darash) is to “inquire” in the sense of gaining information about what will happen (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 14:5; 2 Kgs 8:8; 22:7-8) but it is also used in the sense of “seeking help” from (cf., e.g., Isa 31:1; 2 Chr 16:12; 20:3). The latter nuance appears appropriate in Jer 20:2 where Zedekiah is hoping for some miraculous intervention. That nuance also appears appropriate here where Zedekiah has sent messengers to ask Jeremiah to intercede on their behalf. However, it is also possible that the intent of both verbs is to find out from God whether the Egyptian mission will succeed and more permanent relief from the siege will be had.
[37:7] 2 tn Heb “will go back to its land, Egypt.”
[20:5] 3 tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”
[30:1] 4 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
[30:1] 5 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
[30:1] 6 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
[30:1] 7 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
[30:1] 8 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
[30:2] 9 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
[30:2] 10 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
[30:4] 11 sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.
[30:4] 12 sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.
[30:5] 13 tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”
[30:6] 14 tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”
[30:6] 15 tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.
[30:6] 16 tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.
[30:6] 17 tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[30:6] 18 sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.
[30:7] 19 tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”
[30:7] 20 tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).
[30:7] 21 tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.
[31:1] 22 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
[31:1] 23 tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
[31:1] 24 tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
[31:1] 25 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[31:2] 26 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
[31:2] 27 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
[31:2] 28 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
[31:2] 30 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
[31:3] 31 tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”
[31:3] 32 tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”
[4:17] 33 tn Heb “Our eyes failed in vain for help.”
[5:6] 34 tn Heb “we have given the hand”; cf. NRSV “We have made a pact.” This is a Semitic idiom meaning “to make a treaty with” someone, placing oneself in a subservient position as vassal. The prophets criticized these treaties.
[5:6] 35 tn Heb “bread.” The term “bread” is a synecdoche of specific (= bread) for the general (= food).
[29:7] 36 tn The Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) has “by your hand,” but the marginal reading (Qere) has simply “by the hand.” The LXX reads “with their hand.”
[29:7] 37 tn Or perhaps “dislocated.”
[29:7] 38 tn Heb “you caused to stand for them all their hips.” An emendation which switches two letters but is supported by the LXX yields the reading “you caused all their hips to shake.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:103. In 2 Kgs 18:21 and Isa 36:6 trusting in the Pharaoh is compared to leaning on a staff. The oracle may reflect Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem (Jer 37:5-8).
